


Feral

by lilaceyed



Category: Haikyuu!!, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Tokyo Ghoul, Angst, Angst and Feels, Blood and Injury, Coffee Shops, Developing Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mild Language, Mystery, Violence, Wow there are a lot of ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:02:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 16,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24096277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilaceyed/pseuds/lilaceyed
Summary: "Ghouls walk among us." | As a human living in a world where his kind and ghouls coexist, Hinata comes to realize that he doesn't exactly know as much about his friends as he thought he did.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Azumane Asahi/Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 73





	1. Background Information !

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! So to start this off, Feral takes place where the hq characters are in a world that follows the same rules and values(?) of tg. For the sake of the events, all characters have been aged up by 4 years (Hinata is 20, and you can use that as a guideline). And because of plot points, I may be changing around certain facts here and there.
> 
> With that being said, I hope you enjoy this little project!

Here's a list of things you should know !

*Everyone still went to their respective high schools (just like in the anime)

*There was no volleyball scenario though

*In high school, Hinata was only close with Kageyama, Tsukishima, Yamaguchi, Yachi, and Nishinoya (but everyone else knew of each other’s existence)

*Change on Hinata & Kageyama's relationship- Hinata and Kags were pretty close in high school (as stated above), but Kags grew more distant later on, and they parted ways after graduation. Hinata’s still not sure why this happened. 

*Everyone parted ways after graduation, but met again after 4 years (from Hinata’s perspective at least)

*Here’s where everyone’s at in the current timeline standpoint:

Daichi- Works for the CCG; Asahi’s partner

Suga- Owns 高く飛ぶ (coffee shop/cafe)

Asahi- Works for the CCG; Daichi’s partner

Nishinoya- Works in the cafe

Tanaka- Off doing his own thing (sometimes comes in to help with the cafe and the bookshop)

Ennoshita- Owns a bookshop (Chikara & Co.)

Hinata- A student of the CCG training academy

Kageyama- Off doing his own thing as well

Tsukishima- Works for the CCG; Yamaguchi’s partner (Finished his training early)

Yamaguchi- Works for the CCG; Tsukishima’s partner (Finished his training early)

Yachi- Works in the bookshop

Kiyoko- Works in the bookshop

Takeda- Works for the CCG; Professor at the academy; Works alone

Ukai- Owns Sakanoshita Store

** I will add info about other characters later :)


	2. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We begin with a coffee shop.

“This morning, a young man was found dead on the bridge at the edge of Miyagi Prefecture. It was evident that he died of blood loss, having large pieces of flesh missing from his body. Police have suspected it to be yet another ghoul attack…”

Hinata sighed, moving his gaze away from the TV screen. Another ghoul attack? This place was getting unsafer each day. Of course, he had never come into contact with one, but still. It was unsettling.

“That’s your third cup of coffee. Are you sure you’re alright, Hinata?” The said male looked up, noticing Suga standing there, a sympathetic smile on his face.

“Ah- Yeah.. It’s just, the whole ghoul thing has me on edge more than usual now.”

The coffee shop owner sighed, wiping his hands on his apron. “I think that goes for all of us.”

“Mhm.”

“Well, let’s just hope for the best. The CCG’s trying their hardest with managing these new cases. ..And speaking of that, how’s your training coming along?”

“Exciting, really. But the academy’s on break for now, since every official member is needed for the situation.”

“Well that’s good! Now you have more time to come visit us!” Nishinoya grinned and made his way over from across the room, plopping down onto a chair next to Hinata, who laughed. 

“Exactly. It’ll be nice to have a break.”

“Indeed,” Suga hummed. “I should get back to work. Stay out of trouble, you two.” He went off to take more orders.

Nishinoya gave a half-joking salute before turning back to the orange haired male. “So, you planning to stay here for the rest of the day?”

“I mean.. I really don’t have anything better to do. But only if you’re all okay with it.”

“Of course we are! Quit acting like we just met, it’s really weird. Just because we weren’t in contact for a few years doesn’t mean we’re total strangers now.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Hinata smiled. To be honest, Nishinoya really hadn’t changed since high school. Aside from the fact that he had grown a bit taller, and stopped putting his hair up, he was still the same energetic and charismatic person.

Just as Hinata said, he stayed at the coffee shop for the rest of the day, even helping out with some orders. As it began to get late, and the rest of their regular customers left, Hinata made his way back to Noya and Suga, who were both at the counter, chatting.

“I should get going soon. Would you like any help closing up?” He offered.

“Actually, we’ll be staying open for a couple more hours. But thank you. You’ve worked hard today, you deserve some rest,” Suga smiled sweetly.

“Are you sure? I don’t have any classes tomorrow, so..”

Nishinoya ruffled the younger male’s hair. “We’ll be fine. Besides, you still need to sleep if you plan on getting any taller.”

“You’re still shorter than me though-”

“Hey! That’s besides the point here! Now go home and rest!” he huffed.

“Alright. Goodnight then.” Hinata chuckled and pulled on his jacket before going out of the building, leaving the other two alone.

Once it seemed that Hinata had been gone for a good while, the small grin on Noya’s face dropped, and he turned to look at his companion, who had the same expression on his own face.

“Think he’ll be alright?”

“I hope so.”


	3. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eyes.

Miyagi was no longer safe, and Hinata knew it. Except..why? What made it change so suddenly? Why? It was the only question that still lingered in his hazy mind. This couldn’t be the end. He still wanted to live!

It happened only a few minutes after he left the coffee shop. His home wasn’t too far away, so he walked. Like always. The streets were silent, with no cars, no people, and barely any light. He should’ve been able to hear his attacker. But he didn’t. They came so quickly, so silently, knocking Hinata to the ground, one hand immediately going to his mouth. He couldn’t scream. Not even a gasp of pain could escape his lips as his back hit the cold concrete. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t get away, their strong grip on him didn’t loosen. Even his training from the academy couldn’t help him now. Suddenly, their hand moved down from his mouth, wrapping around his neck, using the same amount of force. 

“N-no.. please…Stop-” He knew that he should’ve saved his breath, that whatever he said would be useless against the mysterious person, but he was frightened. He didn’t want to go just yet. 

The grip tightened.

Hinata was on the verge of either passing out, or going into hysterics, or maybe even both, yet something stood out to him. He had noticed that this person had been wearing a strangely detailed mask. He wasn’t exactly sure how to describe it, but it wasn’t like any other. Behind the mask, piercing blue eyes. Why did they look so familiar-

Almost instantly, a sharp pain erupted in his side. He still couldn’t scream. As his vision began to grow darker, he felt warm blood pooling around him, soaking through his shirt. Not even a minute after, he went limp. This was the end.


	4. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The window.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been since then, but he was certain quite some time had passed. The pain in his side had been reduced to a dull throbbing, and it felt as if a great weight had been lifted off of his chest. Quite literally. Then, there were voices.

“Will he be okay?”

It was quite muffled.

“I hope so. He lost a lot of blood..”

This one was soft, gentle.. Almost familiar.

“I can’t believe you two let him go at it alone.”

A gruff tone. He wasn’t sure if they were angry or concerned.

“And what about Kageyama?” The first person spoke again.

“He’ll be fine.”

Kageyama? There was someone Hinata knew back in high school that had the name of Kageyama, a good friend of his actually, but later on, they weren’t so close anymore. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but after a while, they barely talked, and lost contact after graduation. Could those two people be the same..? No, it wasn’t likely. There was a small chance at that happening.

Feeling a lot better than he had before, Hinata finally opened his eyes, squinting as he saw sunlight in the corner of his eye, coming from the window.. The window? Where exactly was he?

“Ah- you’re awake.. Thank goodness..” Suga stood there, his silver hair messy, and dark circles under his eyes. It was almost as if he had stayed up all night. He seemed tired. And worried. Next to him stood Nishinoya, harboring the same expression.

“What happened..?” Hinata winced. It even hurt to speak.

Another man moved up next to Suga. Ukai Keishin. He owned the neighborhood store. Ah. So that was probably where he was. “Save your breath. These two will explain everything.” Ukai handed him a cup of water. “Drink this before you say anything else. I don’t want you passing out or hurting yourself even more while you’re here.”

Hinata gratefully took the water and drank it, allowing it to soothe his dry throat.

“Thank you.”

Ukai nodded before leaving the room, closing the door behind him.

There was a brief silence.

“How are you feeling..?” Suga asked, sitting at the foot of the bed.

“I..don’t know really. I mean, in a little pain, but I’m honestly more confused than anything,” Hinata admitted. “What exactly happened to me?”

“Do you want the long version, or short version?”

“Short please.”

“You were attacked by a ghoul.”


	5. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look now, ask later.

“So.. let me get this straight. I was attacked by a ghoul.. And survived?”

“You got fucking lucky,” Nishinoya sighed, and leaned against the wall, his statement making Suga shoot him a glare.

“Well, yes to both statements. Noya had a bad feeling about you going off alone, so we followed you. I’ll leave out the bloody details, but it took a while to fight off that ghoul, that’s for sure.”

“But the weird thing is, I’m wondering why he took so long to kill you.”

“Noya! Phrasing!”

“Suga-san, you can’t tell me that you’re not curious as well. Ghouls normally kill off their prey- or at least start eating them- right away. But this one.. Didn’t.”

“I mean.. That’s true..”

Hinata furrowed a brow, recalling what had happened as the two discussed. And the more he thought about it, he realized they were right. That ghoul, whoever they were, had tried killing him off slowly.

“It’s almost as if he was resisting the urge..” Suga thought aloud, making both Hinata and Noya look at him. “Do you think that could be it?”

“Save the questions for later.” The door had been opened, and Ukai stood there once again. “Kageyama’s awake.”


	6. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry.

To say that there was a tense atmosphere in the room would have been an understatement. Despite everyone else’s suggestions to just get some rest, Hinata insisted that he would hear the conversation first hand. And since he wasn’t in any condition to get out of bed, that meant that Kageyama would just have to go in the room as well.

“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” Ukai muttered before leaving the room once again.

As soon as they heard the sound of the door closing, everyone stayed still with bated breath, waiting for some start. Hinata propped himself up on his elbows, ignoring the pain in his side, and looking at the new person in the room. Could it be.. It was.

“Kageyama Tobio?”

Kageyama looked at the orange haired male upon hearing his name. His eyes widened.

“Hinata? Hinata Shoyo..?”

Hinata smiled brightly. So Kageyama did remember him! “It’s been forever!”

“Y-yeah..I..”

“What’s wrong..?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Damn right you should be!” Nishinoya suddenly spoke up, making Suga groan.

“Noya!”

“Well he should be!”

“I don’t understand..” Hinata bit his lip. “What do you mean..?”

Suga got up. “Hinata..He’s the one who attacked you.”


	7. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver.

Hinata paled. “You..? Kageyama.. You’re a ghoul?” Even though they drifted apart, Hinata had still seen Kageyama as a friend. But now here they were, face to face after he had almost been killed. He felt his heart sink. “No way… This can’t be real. It just can’t be!”

“I’m sorry.” Kageyama repeated.

“Stop apologizing!!” Hinata immediately sat up, the pain in his side flared, but he didn't care. “Why?! Why did you never tell me you were a ghoul?!”

Suga gasped, rushing over to the orange haired male. “Hinata, your wound!”

The gash in his side, which Ukai stitched up earlier, had been torn open, fresh blood staining the bandages wrapped around it.

“Why?!” He asked again, struggling against Suga, who was trying to get him to relax and lay down again.

Kageyama tensed, the scent of Hinata’s blood immediately getting to him. Nishinoya, who had been watching the younger closely, noticed this and began to push him out of the room. 

“Nope! Not doing this again!” 

Luckily it wasn’t that hard to bring him out, and Noya slammed the door shut behind them, leading Kageyama elsewhere.

As soon as they left, Suga let out a soft, and somewhat relieved sigh. He looked at Hinata, who had suddenly gone silent, staring up at the ceiling, his expression hard to read.

“Hinata..”

“I just don’t get it… Was that the reason he just suddenly started avoiding me..? Because he’s a ghoul? He could’ve said something…”

“I don’t think it would be easy for him, considering the world we live in,” Suga chose his words carefully as he began to remove the bandage from Hinata’s wound.

“Suga-san, do you think there are ghouls out there who aren’t evil..?”

“I believe so. I also believe Kageyama didn’t attack you intentionally. Just because we- they are born of the same blood as those who kill, doesn’t always mean they have the same intentions.”

“We..?”

The lack of a response made Hinata look at the silver haired male, who had froze, staring down at the bloodied bandages in his hands.

“..You’re almost done with your training at the academy, Hinata. You’ll become a CCG agent sooner or later.. So.” He suddenly leaned in close, a somewhat threatening glint in his eyes. “What would you do, if I were to tell you that I was a ghoul?”

“W-what?”

“I’m sure you heard me.”

Seeing no way around this, Hinata gulped, trying to think of an answer that would please Suga, or at least satisfy him.

“Well- I,” he began, when the door instantly slammed open, making him grip the sheets, while Suga looked over. In the doorway stood Ukai once more, holding medicine and fresh bandages. There was an annoyed expression plastered over his face, his eye twitching a bit. 

“For god’s sake, will all of you quit trying to scare him half to death?! Honestly! It’s like you’re all still children!”

Suga got up and laughed sheepishly, his gentle demeanor returning as if their conversation hadn’t happened. “Sorry, Ukai-san. Guess I got a bit carried away.”

“Just go join the others downstairs. I’ll take care of Hinata for now.”

“Of course.” He nodded and went to leave the room. Just as he turned to close the door behind him, he looked back at the orange haired male, a hint of a smirk playing upon his lips. “And no need to be frightened. I don’t bite~”

“Out!” Ukai growled. The door closed.


	8. Ukai

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If only.

Ukai wasn’t exactly sure how to feel about all of this. His grandfather had warned him that the unexpected could creep up on him at any time, but surely this couldn’t be what he had meant. Right? It was nice to see the former students (and troublemakers) after a few years. After all, Sakanoshita Store was beginning to become uncomfortably quiet. But this wasn’t exactly his idea of a reunion or catch up session. 

It had been the middle of the night when they came, and he was woken up by banging on his door. He stumbled downstairs, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he opened the door, revealing both Suga and Nishinoya. With them were two limp bodies, both covered in blood, and both very familiar as well. Hinata and Kageyama. There hadn’t been much time for explanations, since Hinata was badly injured on his side, losing blood quickly. Now, Ukai was no doctor, but he did have medical training at some point in his life, thankfully. The rest was already obvious.

Both males were silent as Ukai tended to Hinata’s injury, stitching it up once again, applying medicine, as well as fresh bandages. As he stood, the younger spoke up.

“Ukai-san..?”

“Yes?”

“How much do you know about the others?”

What sort of question was that? “Probably just as much as you do, kid.” Then he realized that the others hadn’t really had much contact with each other for some time. While he had seen Suga and Nishinoya almost everyday, Hinata only started showing up to the store recently, and this was the first time the man had seen Kageyama in four years.

“Is Suga-san really a ghoul?”

The shopkeeper sighed and ran a hand through his hair. So that was the conversation he had walked in on. “Sugawara-kun says crazy things sometimes, you know that.”

“You didn’t answer my question..” the younger of the two sounded hesitant.

“Well, if he was, would you treat him any different?”

“No. He’s still Suga-san.”

“What if he tried to attack you?”

“He wouldn’t.. We’ve lasted this long.”

“So have you and Kageyama. And this is what happened.”

Hinata was silent. Ukai knew he struck a nerve.

“What if it wasn’t intentional? What if Suga-san was right? What if he was holding back for some reason?” He sounded so hopeful, that Ukai smiled sadly and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“If only the rest of the world were as understanding as you are.”


	9. Nishinoya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was hypothetical.

“You what?!” Nishinoya exclaimed, standing and slamming his hands down on the counter. This would have normally startled any customers, but today, Sakanoshita Store was closed, due to certain reasons that only the people inside knew.

The smaller male couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Sugawara Koushi, the man he looked up to (and not just literally), acting off of impulse? This was unheard of.

Suga looked at him. “I told him I was a ghoul.”

A sputter and series of coughs could be heard, making the two glance over. Kageyama, who went into the back room to get water earlier, had come back just as Suga finished his sentence. The dark haired male stood there, a look of utter shock crossing his face. 

“You did what?!”

“That’s what I said!” Noya collapsed back into his chair in such a dramatic and exaggerated way, making Suga roll his eyes.

“It was just a hypothetical question.”

“Yeah, but you made it so obvious! And you say I’m the reckless one here.”

“I don’t see what the big deal is anymore.”

“The big deal is that Hinata’s a human! And he’s going to become an agent for the CCG! Don’t tell me you’ve gotten soft- You’ve seen what they do to our kind!!”

“Hinata’s… different. He may be a human, but his views aren’t the same as any other. Besides, he already knows that Kageyama’s a ghoul.”

“I didn’t intend for him to find out,” Kageyama walked over, leaning against the counter next to Suga. “And it also wasn’t my intention to attack him.”

“Oh, we’ve been meaning to ask you about that..” Suga looked at him curiously. “I’m guessing you were holding back then, since you didn’t kill him right away?”

“..yeah.”

“While ghouls can last months with the energy from consuming just one body, most eat regularly, for two reasons,” Ukai began, coming downstairs to join the other three. “One, for pleasure. Two, to avoid a state of extreme hunger. Once in that state, their body is in such excruciating pain, that it forces them to react solely off of instinct. This can result in them eating family, friends, or even their own kind without a second thought.”

He looked at Kageyama. “That’s what happened to you, wasn’t it?”

The ghoul nodded.

“Thought so. Well, both you and Hinata got lucky this time. For various reasons. Have you decided to live here in Miyagi for a while?”

Another nod.

“Then you should probably get to know our safe havens.”


	10. Shimizu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoko-san!

If you ever asked Shimizu Kiyoko where she spent most of her free time, she’d say work. Chikara & Co. was a small book shop, not very well known unless you were a local. That’s what made it nice. Perhaps it was the dimmed lighting and tall shelves, or maybe it was the musty smell of all the papers and books surrounding her, but it made her feel in her element.

Business wasn’t exactly slow, since their usual customers would come in every other day looking for new material to read, but ever since the frequent reports of more and more ghoul attacks, it seemed that people were becoming too afraid to set foot outside. 

The room was completely silent, with the exception of the old clock ticking away, and the occasional turn of the page in the novel Kiyoko was reading. She was the type of person who could sit in this environment for hours, not getting up until she had finished her book, but the universe had other plans for today.

“Welcome!” She called softly as the bell attached to the door chimed, signalling that someone had come in. She placed a marker in the book and set it off to the side, looking up at the new company.

“Kiyoko-san!” Nishinoya waved and went to the counter. With him, someone else. He looked strangely familiar, yet the woman just couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Hello Nishinoya,” She gave a warm smile, to which Noya grinned. He then motioned to his companion. “This is Kageyama. From high school. He just got back from.. Um.. Where were you all these years, anyway?”

Kageyama gave a small shrug. “Just visiting family outside of Miyagi.”

Kiyoko nodded. Ah, now she remembered. Kageyama had been a good friend of Yachi’s, and up to this day the girl would talk about him fondly. Though after graduation, the two had lost touch, which was a bit odd.

“Welcome back, Kageyama-kun. I’m sure Hitoka-chan will be happy to hear that you’ve returned.”

The younger male perked up a bit at the mention of his former friend. “Yachi? She still lives around here?”

“Mhm. She and Ennoshita went out to run some errands, but I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

Almost coincidentally, the bookshop’s bell chimed once again, making all of them look over at the door.

“We’re back! Sorry we took so long!” Yachi called as she walked in, carrying a closed box. Behind her was Ennoshita, who happened to be carrying yet another box. Probably the new shipment of books they ordered.

Yachi was only a couple steps in when she noticed the visitors. “Oh, Nishinoya-san! Hello! And who’s your-”

Kageyama waved. “Hey, Yachi. It’s been a while.”

“..friend.” She gasped and dropped the box on the floor, everyone flinching at the loud thud it made. “Kageyama?! Is that you?!” The young woman rushed over, staring up at him with wide eyes. 

“Yeah. You’re doing well, I hope?”

The male suddenly got a slap across the face as a response, much to everyone else’s surprise. “You’ve got some nerve, showing up so casually!” Yachi huffed. “Hinata was such a mess after you suddenly ended your friendship with him. It took him a year to snap out of it and finally move on with his life.”

Kageyama shifted a bit, seeming to feel guilty. “O-oh.. It did?”

“Yeah. You should go visit him and I don’t know, maybe apologize or something?”

“I..did.”

“Wait, really?”

“Multiple times,” Noya piped up.

“Oh. Well.. Good. As long as you and Hinata are on good terms again, then you’re fine in my book.” She smiled and gave a firm nod.

“I, uh… Thank you?”

“Don’t mention it,” Yachi hummed and went back over, picking up the box.

Ennoshita, who had been watching everything in a panicked silence, let out a soft laugh. “Now.. Since everything seems to be settled,” He looked at Nishinoya and Kageyama. “What brings you two here so suddenly?”


	11. Tanaka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mask maker.

There were a lot of things Tanaka didn’t understand- guys, girls, others, love in general, really. It was one of the things he’d spend up to hours thinking about. He seemed like a pretty busy guy, always going here and there, taking on any task and helping people whenever he could. But in reality, he had a lot of time to just sit around and ponder. While love was always in the back of his mind, he’d always have another thought every couple weeks to comprehend.

This time, ghouls. Just like everybody else, he had seen the latest news reports (who hadn’t?), to which he just shook his head in disapproval. Yet another thing he didn’t understand. Both ghouls and humans had coexisted for centuries, so why were they so afraid just now? The ghouls were simply trying to survive, just like humans. They just happened to have a different diet. But even then, was that really their fault? It was only the way they were created. Their bodies wouldn’t allow them to obtain energy from anything else. If only there would be some way to end the war between species. Even though there were still some out there who killed for pleasure, most ghouls had already switched to a more civil life, eating only the flesh of those who had died of other causes, and were abandoned. Yet they still lived in fear, due to the constant discrimination, as well as many CCG agents who still believed all ghouls must be exterminated. People like them disgusted Tanaka. 

With that whole spiel in his head, the man made his way to the local bookshop to share his thoughts with Ennoshita, and hopefully gain the other male’s insight on the situations as well. They did this quite often, and especially during troubling times like these, so he was a bit surprised when he saw the sign saying that they were closed. Then the surprise turned to doubt as he heard the sound of multiple voices chattering amongst themselves. The shop’s walls were pretty thin, after all.

‘They’re definitely in here,’ He thought to himself as he knocked on the door.

It went silent for a couple minutes. Tanaka frowned and knocked again, this a bit more vigorously.

“Oi, Ennoshita! I know you’re in there, open up man!”

The door opened, and there stood Ennoshita, looking as exasperated as ever. “What gave it away?”

“I heard you guys talking. The walls are thin. You of all people should know that. I mean, it is your bookshop-” He was cut off by a light flick to the forehead from the other male, who opened the door wider. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just come in.”

The taller male thanked him and did so, greeting Yachi and Kiyoko, and grinning when he saw another familiar face.

“Yuu!”

Nishinoya waved and jumped down from where he was sitting on the counter. “Hey! Finally came to visit, huh?”

“Mhm. I was actually planning to get some coffee first, but it turns out you guys were closed too,” he chuckled.

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that. We’ll open back up soon. Anyway, look! Kageyama’s back after all these years!”

Tanaka and Kageyama made eye contact, waving at each other.

“Well, yeah. He’s been around for at least three weeks already. He came to me for a mask a while back, actually.”

“Ehhh?!” Nishinoya looked back at his younger. “You’ve been here for a while now?? You never visited us! Hell, if you hadn’t attacked Hinata, we probably wouldn’t have even gotten a chance to talk!”

“Attacked- You attacked Hinata?!” Yachi cried. 

Everyone’s eyes were suddenly on Kageyama once more. 

“Whoops- spoke too soon,” Noya laughed nervously, giving the taller male an apologetic look. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“The state of starvation, then?” Kiyoko spoke up.

A nod from the ghoul in question. Everyone visibly cringed.

Tanaka shoved his hands in his coat pockets. “That’s a living hell for ghouls. Was it already like that when you first came back to Miyagi?”

Another nod. “Yes.”

“You should’ve said something. I could’ve helped you.”

Kageyama frowned a bit. “Tanaka-san, are you a ghoul?”

“Nope. But some of the people I care about most, are. The last thing I want to see around here is more death, so I’m trying to help out as much as I possibly can. Making masks for you guys is just the start.” 

“That’s very kind of you..”

“Hey, I’m just stating facts here. Anyway, seeing that you’re here with Noya, I’m guessing they took care of you and your situation already?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Suga-san."

“Speaking of that mystery, where is he, anyway? A week ago, he said he’d stop by to pick up a book he ordered, but he never showed. The book’s just in the back, collecting dust,” Ennoshita wondered out loud as he and Yachi went behind the counter, setting the boxes on the floor.

Nishinoya sat back up on the counter again, folding his arms. “At Sakanoshita Store. He stayed behind to watch over Hinata.”

“Knowing him, he’ll take the chance to mess with Hinata’s head.”

“He already did.”

“Jeez.”


	12. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cat & Crow.

It was already afternoon, a few hours having passed since Nishinoya and Kageyama set off. During this time, Sakanoshita Store’s owner had spent most of it taking care of his patient, while Suga waited downstairs. Once Ukai finally approved that Hinata was well rested and in a condition that he could start moving about, he allowed Suga and Hinata to leave. Except.. It wasn’t really the way the orange male had expected.

“So, remind me again why you feel the need to do this?” Hinata asked as they walked. Or rather, as Suga walked, carrying the younger on his shoulders.

“I don’t want you hurting yourself again. Ukai-san said you can move around a little, but not as much as you usually do. Besides, you’re actually really light.”

“I guess so, but I think walking’s okay..”

“I’m not risking anything.”

“You’re a lot stronger than you seem.”

“Why thank you.”

After a few more minutes, they reached the cafe, and Suga took the keys out of his pocket, opening up and going inside. He allowed Hinata to get off and sit on a chair by the counter, then proceeded to prepare for another day of business. Of course, it would be different from usual since they opened late, but that didn’t stop him. 

“Are you sure I can’t help?” Hinata asked, watching as the other male turned the sign on the door, stating that they were open.

“Absolutely sure,” Suga nodded and went behind the counter, putting his apron on. “I told you. I’m not taking chances.”

“Why is it that one moment you look like you’re about to murder me, and the next, you’re acting like my mom?” He stared curiously at the ghoul, who laughed.

“Your mom, huh? That’s an interesting way to put it. But your reaction earlier was priceless. I didn’t mean any harm. I just wanted to know where you stood about this situation. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you, because obviously, I still do.”

“I guess you’re right..”

“You guess?”

“So you’re really a ghoul, Suga-san?”

“Yes, I am. Is there anything you’re going to do about that?” The older male’s tone wasn’t harsh, or menacing. Just calm. Curious.

“I mean, there’s really nothing I can do about it.”

“Of course there is. You’re a valued student of the CCG’s training academy. You could easily report me to your superiors.”

“But why would I?”

“I’m a ghoul.”

Hinata frowned, shifting a bit. “But that’s not a good reason to turn you in.”

“Not to you, maybe. But to the rest of them.. Being a ghoul is already a good enough reason to be reported. Arrested. ...Killed.”

The orange haired male bit his lip. That wasn’t the reason he had joined the academy. He just wanted peace among both species. But looking back at all the lessons, and the professors’ mentalities towards ghouls, he knew that it wasn’t what he had signed up for.

“But don’t let my rambling stop you!” Suga’s suddenly cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts. It was actually quite scary how the older of the two’s mood could change just like that. “You have plans for your future, and you’re almost there!”

“Yeah…” He fell silent just as they heard the cafe door open, and Suga called out happily.

“Ah, Kozume-kun, it’s good to see you again! Will it be the usual today?”

“Yes, thank you.” The somewhat quiet response made Hinata turn, gasping once dark eyes met gold ones.

“Kenma!”

Kenma stood there for a second, before walking over, stopping in front of Hinata. “Hey. How’ve you been?”

“Pretty good, actually! How about you? I haven’t seen you since.. A couple months ago, actually.”

“Ah, yeah. I’ve been pretty busy with some stuff.”

“And by stuff, you mean focusing on only one thing without taking breaks?” Hinata grinned, always taking the opportunity to tease.

Kenma smirked a bit and leaned his face close. “Oh please, as if you’re any better.” He pulled back and sat in a chair next to his companion. “But yeah, you pretty much got that right.”

“You two seriously need to start taking care of yourselves properly,” Suga sighed, setting a cup of coffee in front of Kenma, who thanked him. “By the way, how’s Kuroo doing? It’s strange not seeing both of you together, considering the fact that he’s so.. Protective.”

“Oh. He went out with Bokuto today.”

The silver haired male frowned a little. “Bokuto, huh..?”

“I know. I told him it was a stupid idea, but I wasn’t exactly surprised when he didn’t listen to me. He won’t be getting back until later tonight, so I have the rest of the day to myself.”

“Would you like to stay here with us then?” Hinata offered, to which Kenma smiled.

“Yeah. That would be nice.”


	13. Kenma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't die.

Despite the day being completely different from how he’d usually spend his time, it was actually nice. Of course, Kenma would never admit it out loud, but he actually enjoyed going out and visiting the coffee shop. The fact that it was empty except for Suga and Hinata was a nice surprise. He still didn’t really like crowded places. So around early evening when the usual customers began to show up, the cat-like male decided it was time to go back home. However, he did promise to keep in contact with Hinata, much to the younger’s joy.

Once he got home (the travel back really wasn’t that interesting), he went straight to his room, kicking off his shoes and socks, and changing into more comfortable clothing. He flopped down onto the bed and untied his hair. He wasn’t that hungry, feeling more tired than anything. One cup of coffee didn’t seem to have that much of an effect on his body anymore. Oh well. Now all he had to do was wait. Deciding to take a nap for the time being, he curled up under the covers, dozing off almost instantly.

It was almost midnight when Kenma awoke, hearing a faint thud coming from outside his room. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he slipped out of bed and pulled on a sweater, knowing he would get cold sooner or later. He had just opened his door when he heard retching noises from down the hall. It wasn’t pleasant, yet here he was, going towards it. Curiosity didn’t always kill the cat.

After a bit of walking, he stopped, leaning against the doorway. “I see you’re back.”

Kuroo was on his knees on the bathroom floor, hands clenched into fists, his head held low. He gave no response, so Kenma continued. 

“Why do you keep agreeing to this anyway? It really doesn’t benefit you.”

“Infiltration purposes..”

“No matter what you do, you can’t infiltrate the CCG. Even if some of their members don’t seem that intelligent, you don’t know what they’re capable of. Especially that Bokuto guy. He may act like an airhead, but you know he’s one of their best agents. You’re lucky they still haven’t found you out.”

“It’s fine-” He held back a gag. “Akaashi was there as well.”

“Oh great. You’ve infected him with your stupidity too.”

“Stupidity is not a disease, Kenma,” Kuroo muttered, slowly attempting to stand.

The smaller male rolled his eyes and helped him get to his feet. “Sarcasm. Anyway, I don’t know what I’d be more worried about. You getting killed by that CCG agent, or you dying because of food that your body is not capable of digesting.”

“Aw, you care about me.” He leaned down to kiss his partner, but instead got a hand to his face.

“Ew. Brush your teeth first. I don’t care if any of it came up or not, just brush your teeth.”

Kuroo chuckled weakly and pulled away. “Will do, kitten.”

“Good. I’m going back to bed. Don’t die.” Kenma turned and made his way back down the darkened hall.

“No promises.”


	14. Lil Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Psst-

So like I mentioned earlier, there is now a link for extra..content for Feral. I've made a tumblr page where I'll put up some art, answers to the Q&A, and who knows, maybe I'll drop some hints about future plot points-  
v  
v  
v  
https://lilaceyed-exe.tumblr.com/


	15. Akaashi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goodnight.

“It’s already been half an hour, and he still hasn’t texted!” A groan came from next to Akaashi, making him look over.

Bokuto was looking down at his phone, a frown fixed upon his face. “I told him to text when he got home. I said that out loud, right?”

“You did,” Akaashi confirmed, recalling how Bokuto insisted that they walked Kuroo home when the taller male began feeling a bit sick. And of course, Kuroo refused. It was just his nature. So instead, they agreed that Kuroo would simply send a text that he had gotten home safely. But that didn’t happen, and it made Bokuto worry. A lot. “He doesn’t live that far away. In fact, he should’ve been home by now.”

The older male stared at his screen a bit. “Should I call him? I should probably call him. ..I’m going to call him.” He stated before quickly dialing Kuroo’s number and putting it on speaker. It was all done so instantaneously, that it made Akaashi give a light chuckle. The raven haired male admired how much Bokuto cared about his friend, despite the situation not being so serious. After all, the only reason why Kuroo had been feeling sick that night was because a ghoul’s body wasn’t exactly capable of digesting human food. Well, it was, but it wasn’t the greatest feeling in the world. Which is why Akaashi didn’t eat that night. But Bokuto didn’t know that.

“Hello..?” After a couple rings, Kuroo had finally picked up. He sounded exhausted.

“Hey man! Are you doing okay? You didn’t text, and we were getting worried,” Bokuto spoke, seeming a bit more relieved.

“Oh.. yeah… I forgot about that, sorry. I’m just really tired.”

“Well at least you’re okay. In a sense. I just called to check on you.”

“Thanks for that. I should get going. Kenma wants me to come to bed.”

“Right. Sleep well.” They hung up and Bokuto put his phone in his pocket.

Akaashi, who had been quiet during the entire phone call, finally spoke up, fidgeting with his hands slightly. “Don’t you have work tomorrow, Bokuto-san?”

“Yup. I mean I don’t have to check in or anything, but I’ll be making my usual rounds.”

“Shouldn’t you be getting home and sleeping then?”

“Well, yeah, but I wanted to walk with you for a bit first. What about you, ‘kaashi? I thought you had a report to finish.”

“I do, but.. It’s not due until next week, so… I’ve got some time. I’m nearly done, anyway. Besides, this is nice.”

The taller male beamed. “I’m glad you think so.”

The two continued to walk down the street, enjoying each other's company, as well as the silence settling around them. Without the usual bustle of cars passing by and large groups of people meeting up in many different places, the late night atmosphere was quite relaxing for them. Just so it wouldn’t be completely awkward, Bokuto would occasionally crack some jokes here and there, to which Akaashi would laugh softly. It was moments like this that they truly enjoyed. 

Another twenty minutes had passed, and they rounded a corner, coming to a stop in front of a house. Akaashi’s house.

“I guess this is where we say goodnight,” Bokuto smiled.

“Mhm. Will you be okay walking home by yourself?”

“Of course I will! I’ve done it before. Besides, if I encounter a ghoul, I can handle them.”

Akaashi nodded a little. “Right, one of the CCG’s most valued agents..” 

A laugh. Oh, how Akaashi loved hearing that laugh.

“That’s a bit of a stretch, but.. If that’s what you believe, then I won’t argue with it! Say, want to meet up again tomorrow? You know, just to hang out, and.. Yeah.”

“Sure,” Akaashi thought for a bit. “At the book shop maybe?” 

“Yeah! Then we can grab some coffee afterwards!” Bokuto’s enthusiasm made the ghoul smile again.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

Bokuto nodded and seemed to hesitate for a moment before doing something that surprised the smaller male. He leaned forward, giving Akaashi a quick peck on the lips before turning and going back the way they came from. “Night, ‘kaashi!”

Akaashi stood there, frozen, with a dark blush spreading across his face. He watched the other male walk away, his heart pounding in his chest. That.. really just happened. Bokuto actually kissed him. It felt strange, yet.. It was pleasant. Of course, Akaashi had a feeling about the reason behind it, but he couldn’t say for certain. He’d just have to ask Bokuto tomorrow when they met. And with that happy thought on his mind, he made his way inside.

‘Goodnight, Bokuto-san.’


	16. Hinata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cream, sugar, and promises.

A few days had gone by normally for Hinata- well, as normal as it could get, with his injury and new knowledge of who his companions really were. Of course, being the kind hearted person he was, the fact that most of them were ghouls didn’t change his view on any of them.

Kageyama was still the long lost friend who had now been found. Suga was still the thoughtful, mother-like figure. Nishinoya was still the hyperactive ball of energy. Shimizu was still the soft spoken voice of reason. Yachi was still the ray of sunshine. Ennoshita was still the bringer of order amongst everyone else. Kenma was still quite the mysterious, yet gentle soul. And Tanaka, even though he wasn’t a ghoul, it was still relieving to Hinata that he now had someone who he could confide in, especially when it came to his personal belief system in this anti-ghoul driven world.

Knowing that Hinata could be trusted with all of this, none of the others treated him any differently either. In fact, nothing had really changed at all. The bookshop had returned to its (for the most part) quiet state. Suga’s book had finally been picked up. Sakanoshita Store stayed the same. Ukai was once again able to sleep peacefully at night. The coffee shop remained open during its usual hours. Hinata and Kageyama would come by every day.

And at the moment? Hinata was sitting in the café, simply taking a break. Noya and Kageyama had gone into the back to get some water, and Suga was still working at the counter, so that just left the orange haired male alone to his thoughts. Finding nothing better to do, he glanced around the room, looking at each of the customers. Not in a creepy way or anything, he was just trying to see if there was anything that could pique his interest.

Then the door opened, and in walked… A stranger. Well okay, judging from the smile of recognition on Suga’s face, the man wasn’t a complete stranger. But Hinata didn’t remember seeing him before. So he wasn’t a regular customer. He was tall, with broad shoulders and short, dark hair that ruffled up in a couple places. He sported a white collared shirt and dark pants, as well as black shoes and a black coat to go along with it. He looked like a man of business, but that was only out of observation of his appearance.

Suddenly taking an interest in who he was, Hinata watched as the man walked to the counter, where the coffee shop owner seemed to be waiting for him.

“Hey stranger.” Suga hummed, leaning against the counter.

The dark haired male laughed. “Hey yourself.”

“So, what’ll it be?”

“The usual espresso, please.”

“Cream and sugar?”

“Always.”

The silver haired male gave a sweet smile. “Coming right up.”

Watching the two interact with each other, a look of wonder crossed Hinata’s face, and he pulled Nishinoya over as the smaller male walked by.

“Noya-san! Who’s that? The man with Suga-san.”

Nishinoya looked over at the counter. “Oh, that’s Sawamura Daichi. Apparently he went to the same high school as us.”

“Hm.” The orange haired male looked back over at the two. Suga had already made Daichi’s coffee, and now the two were just chatting happily. “Are they in any sort of relationship? They seem to be… in love.”

Noya shrugged and sat next to him. “Who knows. They’ve been like that since day one. Everytime I ask Suga-san about it, he just changes the subject.”

“Well,” He just focused his gaze on Suga and Daichi. “I’m going to find out.”

“Pff, yeah, good luck with that.”

Then, the orange haired male felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned, noticing Kageyama standing there and looking down at him.

“Quit staring,” The ghoul sighed. “You’re not going to get anywhere with it, and besides, it’s rude. Boke.”

Any other person would have been offended if they heard that, but Hinata’s eyes lit up. It had been so long since he heard that nickname. It was a nickname that only Kageyama could call him by, and even though it sounded like an insult, the meaning behind it and their relationship was actually the opposite. That is.. until the day it all ended. 

“What?” Kageyama asked. It had been a short while since Hinata had turned to look at him, and still nothing had been said.

“I didn’t think you still remembered that nickname.”

“..Well I do.”

Silence settled between them again until Nishinoya stood up, ruffling his already messy hair. “I should get back to work. Besides, I don’t want to get caught up in this..” He waved his hand around a bit. “..romantic tension. See you two lovebirds later!”

“We’re not-!” The two began in unison, but Noya had already made his way behind the counter, joining Suga, Daichi, and yet another person, who seemed to be Daichi’s companion.

“He hasn’t changed one bit, has he?” Kageyama commented, sitting down, while Hinata turned to face him, seeming to already have forgotten the idea of asking Suga about his supposedly secret love life.

“Nope.”

“You, on the other hand.. It’s kind of like you’re a different person.”

“Eh- really?” The statement made Hinata frown. He wasn’t upset or anything, but it just puzzled him. He had never really noticed any changes- personality wise anyway- after all, he didn’t take the time to think about how different he was from his high school self. Maybe it was just because he and Kageyama hadn’t seen each other for so long. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re not the same small and obnoxious person I used to know.”

“What?! No way! Is that what you really thought of me?!” Hinata exclaimed, making the raven haired male laugh. “That can’t be it!”

“Relax, I’m only joking. In all seriousness though, you just seem.. more mature, I guess. You’ve got your whole life planned out ahead of you, and you’re focusing on it. You’re a lot more serious now, than before.”

“Oh… well.. I mean I kind of just decided that I had to move on with my life, you know? Especially since you left.”

Kageyama clasped his hands tightly in front of him. “Yeah. Yachi mentioned that it took a bit of a toll on you…”

“I wish I could say that she was exaggerating.”

“Hinata, I’m really sorry.”

“Didn’t I already tell you to stop apologizing?”

“I broke our promise.”

The smaller male stared at Kageyama for a moment. First the nickname, now their old promise, he obviously remembered a lot more than Hinata expected him to. Back during their first year of high school, the two had grown very close, almost becoming inseparable. No one exactly knew why it had been that way, but they didn’t question it. Hinata still remembered the time they made their promise so clearly. It had been raining the entire day, and when lunch came around, it still hadn’t let up. While everyone had stayed inside their classrooms to eat, the two first years didn’t seem to mind and ate lunch outside like they always did; sitting under the eaves and watching the drops fall from the sky in front of them. He forgot who began the conversation, and why it had suddenly led up to something so heartfelt, but the two of them had agreed that they would stay by each other’s side through everything, no matter what. All the way through high school, graduation, and even after that. It sounded corny, but it really meant a lot to them. 

But even that couldn’t last forever.

“So?” His sudden response startled Kageyama. 

“H-huh? I just thought it meant a lot to you..”

“It did, but that was all thrown away as soon as you started to avoid me. You already broke the promise, so there’s no point in trying to fix it.”

“Oh…”

“But how about this,” Hinata placed his hand on top of Kageyama’s. “I want to make a new promise. Starting today, we put our complete trust in each other. No secrets, no running away. Whatever happens, I want to be there for you. From here on out, we stick together. Can you do that?”

Although he had already forgiven Kageyama, the human wanted another chance. For both of them. Another chance to make things right. Another chance to bring back everything that had been lost so long ago. He was willing, and now all he needed was an answer. And he got one.

“Yes.”


	17. Sawamura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First names.

“So, how’s the case coming along?” Suga’s soft voice made Daichi look up from his cup of coffee. It hadn’t been touched yet.  
The agent just sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. “No luck yet.”

Nishinoya gave a small noise of disapproval as he finished making Asahi’s drink, setting it in front of the said male, who had joined them not too long ago. “Seriously? I thought everyone had to stop what they were doing to help with the case.”

“Thank you, Noya,” Asahi spoke before taking a moment to think about what the youngest had said. “Ah, is that what the news sources are saying these days? I mean they’re not exactly wrong, but in all honesty, only a few of us were put in charge of finding our suspect- or suspects. The Bureau Investigators are busy with all the reports about the case, as well as the victims. The rest of the Ghoul Investigators are helping with the new safety measures.”

Suga and Nishinoya looked at each other. “What kinds of new safety measures?” The silver haired male asked.

“We’re not at liberty to say yet,” Daichi replied quickly, making the other three look at him.

“Aw, but you’ve told us this much already.”

“Sorry Koushi, but rules are rules.”

“Oh, are we using first names now?”

“That’s what we did last night.” He winked.

Asahi pursed his lips, trying to stifle a laugh, and Nishinoya gasped. “So you two are dating!”

Suga grabbed the cloth he used to dry the dishes and threw it in Daichi’s face. “You’re the worst!” He huffed, a dark blush spread across his face.

“But you still love me anyway,” The taller male chuckled, setting the cloth to the side. “And did you not tell anyone?”

“No! I’ve been asking him for the past year, and he refused to tell me anything!” Noya answered for the silver haired male, who just scrunched up his nose.

“I didn’t think it was that important.”

Daichi pressed a hand to his chest. “Well ouch.”

“That’s what you get for suddenly calling me out the way you did.”

“It was worth it, seeing your reaction.”

“Oh hush.”

“Seriously, you two act like an old married couple,” Nishinoya pointed out, making Suga furrow his brows. “No way.”

“Yep,” the long haired agent confirmed and took a sip of his coffee.

“Asahi, aren’t you supposed to be on my side here?”

Daichi then thought of a good way to get back at both his work partner and Nishinoya. “I mean, he’s siding with his boyfriend, as any gentleman should.”

Asahi nearly choked. He set his cup down. “Wait, what?? Noya’s not my boyfriend.”

“I’m not his boyfriend,” Noya insisted simultaneously.

“We all know that that’s not true,” Daichi grinned. “Don’t worry, take your time. You don’t need to admit it right away. I mean it took Suga this long.”

“Now I’m starting to think even we’re not on the same side, Dai,” Suga shook his head, but there was a small smile on his face.

The four continued to talk for a while longer, each of them taking any chance they had to tease the others. They were all quite lively, their laughter and the coffee shop’s atmosphere putting Daichi at ease. For once, it seemed as though he didn’t have a care in the world. That is, until he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Taking it out and looking at the screen, he noticed a message from his superiors, requesting that he and Asahi both come back to the headquarters immediately. He turned to his partner, who had also taken out his phone. He probably got the message as well.

“We should get going. Turns out we’re wanted back at headquarters,” Daichi said as the two of them stood and paid for their drinks.

Suga nodded. “Alright. It was fun while it lasted. Hopefully you guys will get a lead with your case.”

“Yeah. One more thing though.”

“What is it?”

He leaned over the counter, kissing the silver haired male softly. Pulling back after a moment, he looked over at Asahi, who had exchanged warm smiles with Nishinoya.

“Not going to kiss your boyfriend goodbye?”

“Suga, I honestly don’t know how you put up with this man,” Asahi sighed, making the others laugh.

After one final round of goodbyes, the two investigators left the coffee shop and began their walk back to the CCG Headquarters, with one question lingering in their minds. What had been discovered?


	18. Oikawa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Technological difficulties.

Headquarters had become dismal. Actually, it had never really been a happy place, but its dreary atmosphere just got worse with each passing day, as Miyagi’s death toll grew.

Though it was already quite obvious, one of the first people to notice the changes was Oikawa. With all the sudden reports of ghoul attacks in the prefecture, it was no surprise that the usually cheerful faces of his coworkers had been reduced to a uniform grim expression. The halls were quiet, everyone retreating to their offices to do whatever they could to help the situation. 

Like almost everyone else, Oikawa sat in the office he shared with his partner, staring at his computer screen and reading through all the victim reports that he had been given so far from the Bureau Investigators’ department. Maybe there was some sort of pattern with all of these murders. But… there just didn’t seem to be one. All of the victims ranged out into different categories when it came to gender, age, and even the injuries inflicted upon them. So the suspect (or suspects) were being careful. Which was reasonable, but it just made the CCG’s job a lot more difficult.

Finally deciding that he had seen enough for that day, Oikawa turned to see what his partner was up to. Iwaizumi, who had been there the entire time, sat back in his chair, fiddling around with his tablet. Its screen was black.

“What are you doing?”

“Trying to fix this. Just like I’ve been doing for the past few hours.”

“Well you don’t seem to be doing a good job of it, Ha-ji-me~” Oikawa gave the other male a light tap on the cheek with each syllable he pronounced.

The older male’s brow twitched in annoyance and he shoved the tablet into the other’s hands. “Why don’t you give it a try then, Shittykawa.”

“I was only teasing! No need to be so hostile, Iwa-chan!”

“Whatever. Go give that to one of the technicians and see if they can do anything about it, since it seems you’ve got nothing better to do than bother me.”

Oikawa stuck his tongue out at him, but after a moment, got up and did as asked. After all, they’d need that tablet if they were going to get anywhere with the case.

As he walked out of the office and into the corridor, he saw Sawamura and Azumane walking in his direction. He knew why they were here.

“Back from your double date, I see,” he mused. Sawamura laughed.

“You could say that.”

“The heads are looking for both of you, you know.” 

“We know. Is there any particular reason why, though? Did they discover anything?”

“I’m just going to tell you this now; they’ve got a lot to say,” Oikawa said, recalling the meeting he had just earlier that day with Iwaizumi and the superiors. “It’s best to hear the details from them.”

The two nodded, and Daichi spoke again. “Alright then. Thank you.”

“Of course.”

And with that, they parted ways, the pair heading to the higher ups’ office, and Oikawa making his way to find someone who could help fix the tablet. With a bit more walking, he found himself standing in front of yet another office, knocking. When a quiet ‘come in’ could be heard from behind the closed door, he opened it and went inside. “Excuse me, Takeda-san..”

Takeda looked up from the stack of papers on his desk and gave his usual warm smile.

“Oikawa-kun! What brings you here?”

“The tablet seems to be having some issues again. Iwa-chan and I were wondering if you could fix it?”

“Ah, yes of course.” He reached out, taking the tablet as the younger of the two handed it over. “..But I’m guessing there was another reason you came to see me?”

“Yes..”

“What’s on your mind?”

“Have you thought about it..? Our conversation from a couple days ago…”

Takeda looked up once again. “I have.”

“And…?” Oikawa asked hesitantly, biting at his bottom lip. 

“You know it’s risky.”

“I know.”

“And you’re still willing to go through all of it?”

“...Yes.”

“You’re brave, Oikawa-kun.”

“I just want all of this to be over.”

“But once it’s over, you can’t go back.”

“I’m aware of that as well.” The entire time they spoke, Oikawa had put on a solemn expression, but in reality, he was scared. It wasn’t like what he was asking for was impossible or illegal, but… It definitely wasn’t something that was requested very often. In fact, becoming a quinx was so rare, and required the host’s body to go through such a painful process, that only two were known to ever exist. One was still alive.

There was a sigh from Takeda, and he stood, making his way over and placing the now fixed tablet in Oikawa’s hands.

“I’ll speak with Keishin.”

Oikawa’s eyes widened. Just like that, he had crossed the threshold, far past the point of no return. He had practically sold his soul to the devil at this point. But he didn’t feel as contrite as he thought he would.

“Thank you, Takeda-san!”

“Don’t thank me just yet. It’s going to take a while before I can convince him. You know how stubborn he gets.”

“I- I know, but still. Thank you.”

“Of course. Now, just tell Iwaizumi-kun that it would be best if he didn’t use that until tomorrow.”

“I will.”

“Alright then. I should get back to this report.”

The younger investigator nodded, stepping back out of the room. “Right, sorry to disturb you. Have a good day.” He closed the door, then proceeded to make his way back to his office, where Iwa was still waiting for him.


	19. Oikawa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more.

It wasn’t a very pleasant moment when he got back. As soon as he entered the office, he saw Iwa standing there, a few papers in his hands. The very papers that Oikawa hadn’t wanted him to see.

“A quinx? You better be fucking joking.”

Oikawa just shook his head, quietly closing the door behind him. “I know I mess with you a lot, but this time I can assure you that I’m being completely serious.”

“I always knew you were a moron, but this,” he slammed the papers down onto the desk. “This is a whole new level. This is insane! How could becoming like one of those monsters possibly benefit you?”

“It won’t. But if this can get us closer to ending all of these murders, then I’m willing to take my chances.”

“So many things can go wrong.”

“Takeda-san already agreed to it.”

“He what?!”

“I said he agreed,” the brunette repeated, going over and setting the tablet on the desk. “Whatever happens, happens. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Suddenly, his wrist was gripped tightly and he gazed up at Iwaizumi. There was a furious look in the dark haired male’s eyes. 

“Why don’t you get it?! Tooru, you could DIE!!”

Almost instantly, Oikawa pulled back from Iwa’s grasp, and the two looked away from each other, those last words seeming to somehow ring in their ears. He hated this. They would rarely have serious arguments, but when they did, it felt horrible. He hated seeing his lover so angry. Though this was something he decided on his own. He made this plan, and he was going to go through with it. No turning back. But.. he had to at least say something to break the tension.

“Jeez, you’re acting like you’re my mom, Iwa-chan…” he said and moved close again, hugging the said male.

It wasn’t long before he felt Iwa’s arms wrap around him. There was also a soft sigh. “I’m your boyfriend, Shittykawa. It’s my job to make sure you don’t go and get yourself killed.. I don’t know what I’d do if you were gone.”

“How sweet..” Oikawa cooed softly, making Iwa let out a quiet huff.

“Yeah yeah.. Anyway, I think both of us could use a break. Want to head home?”

“Sounds good to me. Oh also, Takeda-san said that it would be best if you didn’t use that for a few days,” the younger of the two added as Iwa reached down to pick up the tablet.

“Oh. Alright.”

The tablet’s screen lit up.

“I just said not to use it. Why’d you turn it on?”

“I didn’t.”

The two looked at the device, noticing a notification from the Bureau Investigators’ department.

‘One new ghoul attack in Miyagi.’

Oikawa rubbed the back of his neck. Great. Just when things were beginning to settle down. “I guess our break could wait just a little longer?” He turned to look at his partner, who nodded.

“Let’s go check it out.”


	20. Kageyama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mistake.

“I still can’t believe you’re really back… It feels so unreal.”

Kageyama let out a slight laugh and looked over at Hinata. “Better start getting used to it.”

The two had spent most of their afternoon walking around the quiet neighborhood, just talking, laughing, and catching up on many things. They had missed a lot of time together, and they intended on making up for that. A gentle breeze blew past them as they made their way down the sidewalk, the last of the sun’s rays casting a soft glow on them as it began to sink back down behind the horizon, the day coming to a close.

“I’m here to stay,” the dark haired male continued, making Hinata turn his head, an excited gleam in his eyes. 

“Really?!”

“Well, yeah. I mentioned that before, remember?”

“Oh yeah..” The smaller of the two gave a sheepish laugh, and Kageyama just smiled and put his hands in his jacket pockets. It really was good to be back. It was almost as if he had never left in the first place. Almost. 

“Say, Kageyama…”

“Hm?”

“I heard from Noya-san that you’ve actually been back for a while now.”

“I have.”

“But you never came to visit.”

“I… never planned to.”

“So then this was a mistake.” It still stung, hearing Hinata say those words, but he was right. It had been a mistake. If he hadn’t attacked the smaller male that night, then they would’ve never found each other again.

Not hearing a response, Hinata went on. “But it was a good mistake. It hurt, but it was worth it.”

“Really?” Kageyama raised a brow. “It was worth all the pain and blood loss?”

“Of course it was! Because of that, I can see you again, talk to you again, just like before!” His smile was so bright, that it seemed as though even the sun couldn’t compare.

“If you say so. But for the record, I’m still sorry.”

“The next time you apologize, I will smack you.”

“Consider that the last time, then.”

“Good. ..By the way… Why did you suddenly start becoming so..distant?”

“I didn’t want to wait for the day where I’d end up hurting you.”

“I guess that’s understandable considering your position, but.. Noya-san and Yachi-san lasted this long.”

The raven haired male sighed. Hinata wasn’t wrong. However, his case had been different. But how could he bring up the fact that had killed someone, so casually? It was by accident, of course, but still… It definitely wasn’t something that he got over quickly. If Hinata were to have the same fate, he would never be able to forgive himself. So he distanced himself. It felt horrible, but it was better than having to live with the fact that he’d killed his best friend. He didn’t really want to bring all of this up now, though.

“Guess I’m not as strong as they are,” was the answer he settled for, and Hinata only nodded.

A cold wind suddenly passed them, making the two shiver. Night had fallen upon them.

“Want to head back to my place?”

“Are you okay with it?”

“Duh, that’s why I asked you!” The orange haired male grinned, playfully punching Kageyama’s shoulder. “Jeez, you need to learn to relax, Kageyama.”

“Oh I’m relaxed.”

“Pff, sure you are. So, want to?”

Kageyama smiled a little. “Sure.”

Almost the same.


	21. Yamaguchi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glasses and Freckles.

“I’m home!” Yamaguchi called out as he went inside the house, closing the door behind him and removing his shoes. Hearing a soft, “welcome back” as a response, he made his way to the living room, where he found Tsukishima sitting on the couch, eyes focused on his laptop screen in front of him.

“What’re you looking at?” The freckled male asked, sitting down and lightly leaning his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Some more plans for the new safety measures.”

“Oh, did you get new ones?”

“No.”

Hearing his response, Yamaguchi shifted his gaze over to the screen. The plans that the blonde had been looking at, were the same ones he pulled up many times before. He wouldn’t be surprised if Tsukki had memorized them by now.

“..I know we haven’t gotten anywhere with the situation, but… You need to take a break from time to time, Tsukki.”

“I know.”

“How can you stay so focused for such a long time? Is it the glasses?” He reached over and carefully removed Tsukki’s glasses, putting them on his own face. It was… blurry. “I don’t feel any different.”

Tsukishima set the laptop down on the coffee table in front of him before turning to look at the other male, squinting, but with a small smile on his face. “Oh stop that. You’re going to ruin your eyesight. Besides, I don’t think it’s the glasses, Yamaguchi.”

“Ah, well. Sorry, Tsukki,” the brunette giggled, handing the glasses back. 

Despite the fact that they had been dating for a few years already, nothing had really changed between Tsukishima and himself. Perhaps it was because they had always been close since they were kids. That was probably the case. Even after confessing their feelings to each other, things carried on how they usually did. After graduation, the two began attending the training academy, and through the accelerated program, they became official ghoul investigators. And partners, of course. Living together was also something they decided on. Not because it was better financially, but simply because they wanted to. Even with that, neither of them were really that different. Tsukishima began to open up a bit more, and was now more affectionate however, which Yamaguchi found to be quite cute.

“Yamaguchi.”

The said male looked over. “Hm?”

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Nope. Have you?”

“No.”

The smaller of the two smiled and stood, then proceeded to pull Tsukki to his feet. “Let’s make dinner then. It’ll be a good way to get our minds off of the case.”

***

Yamaguchi’s idea of making dinner did prove to be a good way to help them relax and distract them from all the concerns that had been going around Miyagi for a while. Though neither of them were amazing chefs, they spent the time laughing and talking as they cooked, soon ending up with a meal that they were satisfied with.

The rest of their evening went by normally. They ate dinner, cleaned up, prepared to go to sleep, and now here they were, laying with each other in bed. Tsukishima sat up a little, reading a novel he had gotten not too long ago, while Yamaguchi was curled up next to him, listening to the sounds of the blonde’s steady breathing, accompanied by the occasional flip of a page. It was 10 pm, but honestly, who would be able to fall asleep at that hour? Certainly not them. 

After a few minutes, the peaceful atmosphere was interrupted by a soft _‘ping’_ coming from Yamaguchi’s phone. Unsure of who’d be texting him at this time, he reached over and picked it up. The message was from Hinata.

**_From: Hinata_ **

_Guess who’s back!!_

Just as he was about to respond, Hinata had sent a photo. Yamaguchi nearly dropped his phone when he saw it. It was a simple selfie of two people right next to each other. One of them, of course, was Hinata, being the usual ray of sunshine he was. But next to him was a face that Yamaguchi hadn’t seen for so long.

**_To: Hinata_ **

_Is that Kageyama?!_

**_From: Hinata_ **

_Yep!_

“You seem quite pleased. Did something happen?”

Yamaguchi looked up at Tsukishima, a small grin still plastered across his face. He showed the photo to the other male. “Kageyama’s back!”

The blonde’s expression morphed into one of genuine surprise for a brief moment, then returned to its usual relaxed state. “So that fool finally decided to come back. He better have fixed up that mess he created.”

“Hopefully,” Yamaguchi nodded, suddenly remembering that Tsukishima and Kageyama weren’t on great terms at the moment- well, at least from Tsukki’s perspective, anyway.

It wasn’t like they hated each other. In fact, the four of them, as well as Yachi, were all good friends in high school. But after Kageyama just up and left, it had put Hinata into a sort of.. Broken state, and Tsukki never forgave the raven haired male for that, saying that it was “pathetic” and “completely uncalled for”. And honestly, it was.

“But they might have sorted things out already. I mean look at them. They’re both so happy,” he hummed as he sent a quick text before putting his phone away, returning to his comfortable position by Tsukki.

“Mhm.”

**_To: Hinata_ **

_Please tell him ‘welcome back’ for us!_

Suddenly beginning to feel drowsy, the brunette let out a quiet yawn and snuggled into his lover’s side, enjoying the warmth. “Anyway, don’t stay up too long reading that. We still have work tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

“Goodnight Tsukki.”

A soft kiss was placed on the top of his head as he began to doze off.

“Goodnight, Tadashi.”


	22. Sawamura

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mask.

The next morning, Daichi came to work, very unsure of how he was feeling. They were almost two months in since the killing began, and yet they still had no lead. As for his and Asahi’s meeting with the superiors from the other day.. It wasn’t exactly what he had expected, but then again, even he wasn’t sure what to expect. New “upgrades” were going to be added to the investigators’ quinques, so for now, he would only be armed with a gun loaded with Q bullets. Not something he was used to, but still effective if he came into contact with a ghoul. As for the case, they now had two options to help. Infiltration or interrogation. Neither would be easy, but… What other choice did they have?

“Sawamura!”

Hearing his name being called, Daichi stopped and looked ahead, seeing Iwaizumi at the end of the hallway, holding something in his hands. But from the distance he was standing at, it was hard to make out what it was. Daichi walked closer. “Iwaizumi. Is there something you need?”

“Tooru and I went to take a look at the scene of the recent murder yesterday and found this. We figured that you might want to take a look at it,” Iwaizumi said and placed the object in Daichi’s hands, the younger male looking down at it.

It was a mask, made from a sturdy, yet flexible synthetic material, with a leather strap at the back to fasten it. For the most part it was black, touched with thin, silver swirls at the sides. It could cover a person’s whole face, and seemed to resemble some sort of bird. A raven, or even a crow, maybe. Hadn’t he seen this somewhere before..?

He looked back at Iwaizumi. “But why would you give this to me so suddenly?”

“You said you wanted answers, didn’t you? Well here’s a start. Our first piece of actual evidence. We’re already one step closer to solving all of this. I know you have close associates, Sawamura. Try asking around a bit.”

After that encounter, Daichi put the mask in his bag and carried on with the rest of his day.

He was completely silent for the remainder of the morning, which scared Asahi, but Daichi claimed that it was just a small headache, deciding not to tell his coworker about the new evidence just yet.

At lunch at the cafe, Nishinoya and Hinata noticed his offput behavior, and pressed at him for answers while Suga was busy covering multiple orders. The agent simply lied to them as well, and they left it at that.

When he returned to headquarters, he passed by Oikawa in the hall and gave him a small nod of recognition, to which the other returned. Something seemed off about him, the brunette having a weary look in his eyes, but Daichi knew it wasn’t the right time to ask about it.

Then, back to his office, right where he began. And the weight in the back of his mind wouldn’t let up.

***

It was that night at dinner with Asahi, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi that he finally figured it out. He finally remembered.

Cream colored walls, a dark, wooden dresser, pushed up against one. The bottom drawer was missing its handle. And on top of it, sitting amongst a mess of papers, the mask. That very mask that was in his bag.

Chopsticks clattered against the tabletop, making the other three investigators glance at him in surprise.

“Daichi-san, is everything alright?” Yamaguchi asked, voice laced with the usual worry, but Daichi didn’t respond. It was all there, pictured clearly in his mind.

The mask, and the face of the one who it belonged to.


	23. Oikawa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frames.

Once more, the days began to pass by quickly, and before everyone knew it, summer had arrived. And for once, people actually had something more to worry about than just how hot the weather became. Now, it was the impending sense of doom. Death and destruction. In Oikawa’s case, it was hoping that this all would go well.

It was early morning- not bright and sunny like most days, but cool and overcast- and it was definitely the perfect type of weather to fit the brunette’s mood. There was an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach as he walked, making his way towards headquarters. But it wasn’t exactly for work. When Iwaizumi asked where he was headed to so early in the morning, he said he was going out for a run. That was a lie as well. After a long time spent waiting, Takeda had finally gotten back to him, stating that he had managed to convince Ukai Keishin to perform the frame release surgery. The shopkeeper had been very reluctant, but they ended up setting the date for it. And today was that day.

He had been asked to come early in the morning, as the procedure would be quite a lengthy one, which was no surprise to him. Despite the limited information he got on the subject, he had done some background research before asking to go through the process. So maybe he wasn’t walking into the situation completely blind. But even then, he didn’t know too much about it, considering the fact that only two quinxes were known to exist.

Upon his arrival at headquarters, Oikawa was greeted at the front entrance by Takeda, who had apparently stayed there overnight, working. Did he ever get tired?

From there, he was brought straight to the room where the surgery would be performed. It was an average sized room, with white walls and bright lights. In the center, an operating table, and some curious machinery surrounding it. The mechanisms didn’t seem like anything that would be normally used in the medical field, but then again, this wasn’t a normal procedure. 

“Here,” Takeda suddenly spoke, grabbing a folded up hospital gown from one of the cabinets and handing it to the other male. “You’ll need to get changed. Keishin will be joining you soon.” And after a nod from Oikawa, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

Oikawa promptly did as told, dressing in the patient’s gown, as well as folding and neatly placing his clothes on the counter off to the side, along with his phone. It wasn’t long after when there was a light knock on the door, and Ukai entered the room with a gruff, “‘morning”.

“Ah- Good morning, Ukai-san. Thank you for agreeing to this,” Oikawa said, bowing politely, to which Ukai just gave a dismissive wave with his hand, going to check on the machinery.

“No need for that. You’re a courageous soul for wanting to go through this. Either that or really stupid.”

“Erm, thank you..?”

“But I mean, I can’t judge you. It’s like I’m looking into a mirror. ..Could you lay down?” He motioned to the table, and Oikawa complied.

“Ukai-san, exactly how safe is this?” The younger male felt quite stupid for only asking the question just now. The reason why he didn’t think about it before was beyond him.

“As safe as it can be. Gramps spent almost a year making sure I got the technique down properly. If I messed this up now, he’d turn in his grave.” 

Oikawa nodded, falling silent. Ah.. that’s right. Ukai Ikkei was the one who originally discovered the procedure, and made the term “quinx” a reality. The discovery was groundbreaking, and Ikkei was a highly respected man both in and outside of the CCG, so it truly was a tragedy when he passed a few months prior. It was because of natural causes, but it still hurt to hear the news. What remained of both him and his work was now through his grandson, the only person he had trusted with his research.

Ukai’s face suddenly appeared in Oikawa’s field of vision, the older male staring down at him. “You ready?”

He nodded. “I won’t be awake for this, right?”

“Of course not. I wanted to bleach my eyes after the first time I saw it, and it was just the demonstration. Consider yourself lucky.”

Oikawa let out a light chuckle, which quickly died out as he felt a small prick in his arm. “Well, make sure… Make sure you don’t bail in the middle of the procedure today.”

“I’ll try not to,” Ukai laughed. “But I can’t make any promises.” He was joking. Probably.

It wasn’t long before a drowsy feeling settled over Oikawa, and the young investigator didn’t bother fighting it, letting his eyes close. After all, he hadn’t been able to get much sleep the previous night, and he was now in good hands. Without another thought, he allowed himself to be pulled into the dark void of slumber.

***

By the time he woke up again, it was already late afternoon. The brunette propped himself up on his elbows, looking around. He was now in headquarter’s infirmary; light gray walls and ceiling, hardwood floor, surrounded by other unoccupied beds. The blinds were drawn closed on the few windows that were there, not allowing the sunlight to come in, but simply letting a hazy glow illuminate the room. His eyes then wandered to the clock, which was ticking away on the wall across from him. 5:30. Had the process really taken that long? Well, it was a complicated surgery. 

A sudden melodic chime snapped him out of his thoughts. Looking over, he saw his phone sitting on the bedside table along with his clothes, its screen lighting up as he received a call. He reached over and picked it up, answering it. “Hm?”

“Oi. Shittykawa. Where are you? When you said you’d go for a run, I didn’t think it would take the entire day.” Iwaizumi’s voice came from the other end of the line. He sounded worried. Not unusual. Oikawa would always let him know if something would take longer than expected. But today he hadn’t, so the brunette wasn’t surprised by the call. After all, he never told Iwa about the surgery actually taking place. “..Oikawa?”

“Hm? Oh- yeah, sorry I got sidetracked. Saw an old friend,” he stated quickly, that being the first excuse that came to mind. God he sounded tired. Even though he felt fine, his body was still recovering.

“Okay.” Huh? Had Iwa not noticed? Did he not see through the lie? No, that couldn’t be. He was way too perceptive to not have suspicions. Perhaps he just decided not to bring it up then. 

“Yeah…” 

“See you later then.”

“Yeah, see you.”

Just as he hung up, two sets of footsteps could be heard from the hallway, coming to a stop right outside the infirmary’s closed doors. They weren’t exactly loud, and Oikawa shouldn’t have been able to hear them coming, but… He did. Then, voices. He heard those as well.

“Will he be alright?”

“Yeah. His body should be able to handle it. He’s definitely in a much better condition than I was when I underwent the surgery.”

The door then swung open, revealing both Takeda and Ukai standing there. Their tired faces lit up a bit when they saw that their patient was up.

“Oikawa-kun, you’re awake!” Takeda let out a breath that he seemed to have been holding in for a long time as the two males made their way to the bedside. “How are you feeling?”

Oikawa sat up fully. “Not too bad, actually.” It was true. He didn’t really feel any pain, despite finishing the procedure earlier that day. Perhaps it was due to the faster regenerative properties? 

“That’s good,” Ukai folded his arms, giving a firm nod. “There weren’t really any complications, so everything went pretty smoothly. As of right now, you’re set to F2, so you can have up to 40% of the kakuhou’s power at your disposal. When the time comes and you feel that you are ready, you can come back and we’ll release another frame. But that won’t happen for a while.”

“Right. Thank you, Ukai-san.”

“Don’t mention it. But really, don’t do anything stupid, okay? Even after all of you graduated, I’ve still got my hands full, dealing with you kids,” the blonde stated, eliciting a laugh from the other two. “Anyway, I should get back to the shop. I already ran the usual checks and tests earlier, and everything seems to be fine, so you’re free to leave when you’re ready. And if you ever have any concerns, you know where I am, so come find me.”

“I will.”

While Ukai left the room, Takeda lingered behind a bit, turning to his younger coworker. “Do you plan on leaving now?”

Oikawa nodded. “Yes.”

“Alright, take care. And also.. There’s someone waiting for you outside.”

***

It was almost 6:30 when Oikawa walked out of headquarters, dressed in his own clothes again, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other clutching his phone. He really didn’t feel different. Aside from the enhanced hearing abilities, nothing had changed. He didn’t have to switch to eating human flesh either, so that was a relief. Then his mind wandered back to Takeda’s words.

_“There’s someone waiting for you outside.”_

Oikawa had only taken a few steps when he saw him.

“Hey, Shittykawa.”

Iwaizumi stood there, only a few feet away from headquarter’s entrance, arms folded, the usual blank expression on his face.

“Iwa-chan?” The brunette made his way over to his boyfriend, and the two immediately began their walk back home. “What’re you doing here?”

“Picking you up, obviously. What does it look like?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t think you’d look for me at headquarters.”

“Well I did. And I know about the surgery.”

 _Shit._ “How..?”

“Actually, Takeda-san confirmed it later on, but it was just a suspicion. I mean seriously, you left the house saying you were going for a run, but you were wearing a shirt and _jeans._ Who goes running in _jeans_? I know you’ve got a strange fashion sense, but this is your weirdest one yet.”

The younger male groaned, punching Iwa’s shoulder with his free hand. “Shut up! I’m the one who does the teasing in this relationship!”

Iwa simply smiled. It wasn’t sarcastic, or a smirk, just a genuine smile. And Oikawa couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“Wait, how do I know that you’re _really_ Iwa-chan? What if you’re just a ghoul trying to impersonate him??”

The smile dropped.

“Ghouls can’t shape-shift, you idiot.”

“Okay, an alien then!”

“Aliens don’t exist!”

“You never know,” Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms.

“Yeah yeah, but it’s actually me, for the record. I don’t think even the supernatural could put up with how annoying you are.”

“Rude!”

“Just saying.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t,” Iwa chuckled.

Knowing that the other male was right, Oikawa just gave up and slipped his free hand into Iwa’s. “So, not going to lecture me for going through with the surgery without telling you?”

“No. What’s done is done. I can’t fix what already happened. But I’ve decided that I _will_ beat your ass if you get yourself into trouble.”

“...How kind of you, Iwa-chan.”


	24. Sugawara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver crow, silver crow.

The sun was just beginning to set, and Suga stood in the coffee shop, alone, wiping down the counter for probably the fifteenth (and last) time that day. The usual customers were already gone, and he had allowed Noya, Hinata and Kageyama to go home, since the shop always closed early on the last day of each month. There wasn’t any specific reason behind it, it had just always been that way. But tonight, other plans had been made as well.

Still not completely lost in his thoughts, the silver haired male heard the door open. He could’ve sworn he locked it. “Sorry, we’re closed for today,” he said, not looking up from what he was doing.

“Silver crow, silver crow, flying free, why must you remain quite the mystery? Where have you been, and where will you go?” A low voice then spoke from the doorway, the tone blithe. 

Immediately recognizing who it was, Suga smiled and went along. “Through lush forests of green, over the vast ocean blue, or maybe in darkness, hidden from prying eyes.”

The person drew closer, until only the counter separated them. “I know not where you reside, here or there, I can only attest one thing. Perhaps you’ve already flown your way into my heart.”

Suga finally lifted his gaze from the counter, and looked at the man in front of him. “Always showing up when I least expect it, huh Kuroo?”

“This shouldn’t be anything new to you,” the raven haired male flashed a small grin. “I would’ve come earlier, but there were things I had to take care of.”

“I see. Would you like anything to drink?”

“No, it’s okay. I’m not really in the mood for anything. Besides, it looks like you’re just about to close up shop.”

“Alllright then. So how have things been for you lately?”

“Not bad. Work is a bit lighter with the loads since the attacks started, so now I’ve got more free time. What about you? Still feeling lonely~?”

“I’ve got a boyfriend, Kuroo. And so do you.” 

“I know that, Sugar.”

“Always such a tease.. And that’s not my name.” Suga rolled his eyes as the taller male chuckled. But he knew that Kuroo wasn’t being serious. Their hearts belonged to others, and they held true to that. Between the two of them, interactions like this were simply just fun and games.

“Well, my apologies.”

“Oh?” Suga raised a brow as he moved away, removing his apron and hanging it up with the others. He then proceeded to grab his bag and join Kuroo on the other side of the counter. “Kuroo Tetsurou, being a gentleman? How rare.”

“It really isn’t. You just don’t pay enough attention.”

“Mhm, sure.”

Amused smiles on their faces, the two of them walked out of the shop, Suga turning the lights off and locking the door. They stood on the sidewalk, looking at the last of the sun’s rays before it sank down and disappeared behind the mountains.

“So, you heading home?”

“Ah no, actually. I’m just waiting for Daichi.”

Kuroo’s expression suddenly turned grim. “Still with that investigator.. Seriously, I thought you could do better than that.”

“Very funny, Kuroo.”

“I’m being serious here. He’s not someone you should stay around, much less trust with your life.”

“I’ve known him for years. He’s a good man. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Maybe you’ve known him for a long time, but people change. And let me tell you, he’s very committed to the whole ‘ghouls are heartless creatures that are a threat and must be wiped off the face of this planet’ thing. I’m sure he wouldn’t think any differently when he finds out what you are.”

“It’s not as if I haven’t thought about that before.”

“Alright, well, be careful around him, little crow. I just don’t want you getting hurt.”

The smaller male opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by another voice, making the two ghouls turn.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything…”

Daichi stood there awkwardly, a few feet away from Kuroo and Suga. How long had he been there? Had he heard what they were discussing?

“No, no. I was just about to leave.” Kuroo shrugged, not making eye contact with either of them. “I’ll see you around, Sugar. Have fun, you two.” And with that, he walked off, as if their conversation never happened.

Suga frowned a bit, watching him for a minute, then turned back to Daichi, who had made his way over. “..Sorry. I didn’t keep you waiting, did I?”

Daichi smiled and shook his head. “No, I just got here. Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah.”

The moon’s light shone gently down upon the couple as they walked in silence, seeming to be the only things that moved in the night, along with their shadows. There should’ve been something to talk about, considering the fact that they hadn’t been able to meet up for a while since Suga had work, and Daichi had apparently gotten a lead with the case.

“Oh,” the smaller male finally spoke up. “How’s the investigation coming along?”

“Well.. I think we finally found our suspect.”

“That’s good! Meaning if all goes well, then things will go back to normal.”

“Yeah.”

“Sooo. Mind telling me who it is?”

Daichi tensed. “I’m still not at liberty to say.”

“Aw mann. Leaving out the fun details like always.”

“Sorry Koushi,” He said briefly, making Suga furrow a brow and nudge the taller man with his shoulder.

“You okay? You seem really tense.”

“Huh? Oh yeah, just thinking.”

“What about?”

“Something I discussed with a coworker.”

They rounded a corner, and turned onto the next street, one that was more dim in lighting. Like something straight out of a horror movie.

“Oh yeah? Will you tell me about that, or are you still not at liberty to say?” Suga gave a light chuckle.

Daichi stopped walking, not giving an immediate response.

A beat. Then-

“Koushi.”

“Hm?” Suga stopped as well. He felt the taller male move up behind him. There was the sound of Daichi rummaging through his bag, and he suddenly held something out in front of the both of them. Wasn’t that-

“..my mask?” But how? The last time he checked, it had been sitting in his room like always. How could it have possibly ended up with Daichi? ...Something was definitely off. He had noticed it from the beginning. How could he not? Being a ghoul cursed with the inability to regenerate quickly since birth, he had developed almost some sort of sense (or maybe it was really just a gut feeling) to recognize danger, even if it was ten feet ahead of him. Daichi had definitely had the investigation on his mind the entire night, and now with the mask? It wasn’t right.

The ghoul had known from the beginning, instinct urging him not to go, but he ignored it. Why? He didn’t want it to be true. He didn’t want Kuroo to be right. He wanted to believe that Daichi was a good person. That he had better judgement than the rest of those monsters. That perhaps he was more like Tanaka or Hinata. It sounded childish, naive even. As if this were some fairy tale that would have a happy ending. But that wasn’t how the world worked. And it seemed as though the universe decided to punish Suga for even acknowledging the existence of those thoughts. 

“Forgive me..” came the quiet murmur from Daichi. 

Through the fabric of his shirt, he could feel something pressed up against his waist. Something frigid. Sturdy. Metal?

“This all ends now.”

The ghoul felt his blood run cold. He needed to run. Move. Just get away. But he couldn’t. “Dai-”

_BANG._

The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, agonizing waves crashing over him. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. There was a ringing in his ears. He shut his eyes. He wanted it to be over. In a way, it was his own fault for getting into this mess, but a voice screamed over and over in the back of his mind, pleading desperately. _Someone, anyone, please. Help._ A searing pain began to spread through his lower back, so excruciating that he became less aware of what was going on around him. He could’ve sworn he heard more footsteps and voices, but that might have just been his mind playing tricks on him.

Then, after what seemed like long, cruel hours of being left to bleed out, he was lifted off the ground, in someone’s arms. The silver haired male instinctively tried to move closer to the warmth. He wasn’t quite sure who it was at first, but through the haziness, he recognized the voice of his rescuer.

“If only you listened to me from the start, little crow.”

**Author's Note:**

> Quite confusing, huh? I mean, it's nothing to be ashamed of. I confused myself multiple times while writing this, haha. But! I will actually be doing an art Q&A for the characters of this AU. So, if you have any questions for any of the characters so far, go ahead and let me know! I'll be putting up a link to the answers later!


End file.
